DONATIONS/COLLECTIONS: many thanks for the following donations:
Redecoration Fund: Loose: £8.17 and £8.00 Gift-Aided: £27.00
Also: £30.00; £10.00 and £8.21 for CAFOD; £20.00 for the Oldham Food Bank.

CONGRATULATIONS to St. Patrick’s stalwart Veronica (Vera) Sobieralski who celebrates her 90th birthday on Thursday. Our love and best wishes are sent to you on this special day Veronica.

PARISH NEWS

The Charismatic Prayer Group meets every Friday for Praise and Worship in St. Patrick’s church from 7.00pm to 9.00pm. Contact: 07970188673. Everybody is most welcome.

The Oldham Food Bank thanks the parishioners for the latest donation of £445.00, in addition to the large amount of food parcels.

CAFOD also thanks parishioners for the latest donation of £1,809.00 – the letter is pinned to the church notice board.

Recent Clergy Appointments: Fr Michael Job will become Parochial Administrator of Holy Family and Holy Rosary, Oldham, in addition to his responsibility as Parochial Administrator of St Mary’s, Failsworth. Fr Gasper Oladasu will become Parochial Administrator of Corpus Christi, Hollinwood, and will be resident at Holy Family presbytery, Limeside. Canon Michael Buckley will become Parish Priest of Holy Family, Kirkholt, Rochdale, in addition to his responsibility as Parish Priest of Sacred Heart, Rochdale.

Less than half price 2018 cane calendars on sale at the piety shop.

Reignite Young Adults Mass: Come along for: great speakers, brill testimonies, guest homilists, our young adults music ministry, reunion with friends, pub social time – next Sunday (and every 3rd Sunday of the month) @ 5.30pm.

“WHAT’S ON” THIS WEEK”
TODAY: Sacramental Programme: we welcome the children and their parents for the celebration “We are People who Celebrate God’s Word” at the 10.00am Mass in St. Patrick’s church.
THURSDAY: St. Patrick’s Parish Team meeting at 7.30pm in the Parish House.
“TWEETS” FROM POPE FRANCIS”
“Baptism is also called ‘illumination’, because faith illuminates the heart and allows us to see things in a different light.”
“The encounter with God and our brothers and sisters cannot wait just because we are slow or lazy. We are called to that encounter today!”

FORTHCOMING EVENTS
Please see the church notice board for further details of the following:

Day of Prayer for Vocations: St. Mary’s – Wednesday 4th April.

Day of Prayer for Vocations: St. Patrick’s – Tuesday 12th July

THIS WEEK’S FEASTS
St. Anthony retired to the Egyptian desert at the age of 20, where he attracted many followers , who shared his ascetic life, and bequeathed to the Church an example of life spent in solitude and devotion to prayer. He died in about 356, aged about 105.
St. Wulstan: born in Warwickshire about 1008, dying in 1095. A Benedictine monk in Worcester, he was appointed bishop, and was one of the few Anglo-Saxons in high office to survive the Norman Conquest. He was renowned as a confessor, his care for the poor and sick and for the high standards he demanded of his clergy.
St. Fabian: chosen as Pope in 236, he gave a great example in the persecution begun when Decius restored pagan worship in 250, though this meant he died a martyr’s death.
St. Sebastian: the last persecution in Rome was under Diocletian between 303 and 305. Sebastian, a native of Milan, was martyred and his tomb attracted devotion, being the only catacombs known and visited throughout all subsequent centuries. He joined the Roman Army, ostensibly to be of service to other Christians who were being persecuted by the Romans. Sebastian distinguished himself and for his excellent service, he was promoted to serve in the Praetorian Guard to protect Emperor Diocletian. He converted his parents and several other prominent individuals, including the local prefect. This led to his discovery and he was reported as a Christian to Emperor Diocletian. The Emperor, who was already infamous for ordering the deaths of hundreds of Christians, scolded Sebastian and ordered him to be killed by having him tied to a stake on a training field and used as target practice for his archers.

“SMILE – A – WHILE”

My boyfriend was working in the souvenir shop at Canterbury Cathedral in Kent, England. One afternoon he was talking with an attendant who worked in the cathedral when they were approached by two tourists. "Are you a monk?" one of the women asked. "No," the attendant explained, "I wear this robe as part of my job, but I’m not a member of any religious order." "Then where are the monks?" asked the woman. The man replied, "Oh, there haven’t been any monks here since 1415." Hearing this, the woman looked at her watch and announced to her friend, "Betty, we missed the monks."

Vacationing in Hawaii, two priests decide to wear casual clothes so they won’t be identified as clergy. They buy Hawaiian shirts and sandals, and soon hit the beach. They notice a gorgeous blonde in a tiny bikini. "Good afternoon, Fathers," she says as she strolls by. The men are stunned. How does she know they’re clergy? Later they buy even wilder attire: surfer shorts, tie-dyed T-shirts, and dark glasses. The next day, they return to the beach. The same fabulous blonde, now wearing a string bikini, passes by, nods politely at them, and says, "Good morning, Fathers." "Just a minute, young lady," says one of the priests. "We are priests and proud of it, but how in the world did you know?" "Don’t you recognize me? I’m Sister Kathryn from the convent."